Helpless for a Hero
by elusivemuse
Summary: The ones they lost cannot be found, until destiny comes into play. A woman lost in the war and a woman wronged by the Alliance find their family all on Serenity. MalOC SimonOC
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Firefly

**Helpless for a Hero**

I do not own Firefly! Thank you so much to soccer-bitch, my darling co-author! Hope you enjoy!

Defeat of Serenity Valley

Rhythmic booms shook the earth and lit the sky. The rat-tat of guns danced around the valley, shooting up tuffs of dirt, wood and flesh. Terrified cries and screams gave the music of the battle, song, loud enough to float over the land for miles. The deathly shrieks of the wounded didn't seem to fit with the song of the battle to Sari Berisford. It didn't have the deaf ringing that the impacting bombs had. She couldn't decide which one she felt an affinity with more. A rusty blood smear marred her cheek, a reminder of her own battle she waged, trying to save a man from a bullet wound in the gut. Her battle was just as messy as the one that raged around her and for now, that was the only one she was focusing on. However, her plan didn't seem to follow her rules. A maniac triumphant scream heralded the arrival of her Sergent, Malcolm Reynolds, his chestnut coat flapping around him as he jumped towards her. His ever present companion, Zoë, gave covering fire as they both jumped into her trench.

"Berisford!" he gave her a bright grin before throwing a grenade over his shoulder to where he was running only moments before. Sari widened her eyes and threw herself over the man's wound. The explosion vibrated through the earth, raining dirt and juicy flesh over them.

"Sergent, I'd rather not have this man get an infection while on my watch," she gave him a wry look. "If you can handle it, how about you try and shoot them first?" Zoë gave her an 'are-you-serious-this-is-Malcolm-Reynolds' look.

He flicked her nose, laughing at her sour look. "Now where'd the fun in that be? Not nearly flashy for the likes of us, Darlin'" she gave him an exasperated look. "Now, now, don't get huffy; there is a reason why we came all the way over here."

Rasing an eyebrow, she turned her attention back to the wounded man. "And here I thought I was getting privileged treatment by being simply graced by your presence."

Mal laughed loudly. "See there, Zoë, I told you there was a reason why I liked this girly here," Zoë rolled her eyes, giving the young girl a sympathetic glance before turning her attention back to the lines. "Seriously, though, I have this bullet wound right here," He pushed his coat back to reveal a bloodstained shirt. Lifting the material up, Sari spied a deep graze on his waist.

"Give me a minute, Cowboy, and I'll patch you up. Just need to sew Morgan up…" the whoosh of heavy artillery was all the warning they got as an air craft zoomed over them. Pulling Sari into his arms, he slammed them into the protective walls of the trench just as the bomb exploded. Shrapnel, dirt, limbs and flesh flew over them, the gargling screams of the dying unable to pierce the roaring bells ringing in the survivors ears. Experiencing weightlessness from not being able to hear, Sari looked dizzily around.

Beside her Malcolm was yelling something at her, shaking her head drunkly; she looked back to Morgan, her patient. His glassy eyes took a while to sink into her mind. But as she realised what it meant, a roaring rush gave her hearing back. The pained screaming and the echoing booms of more bombs being dropped took the backseat as she continued to stare at him.

Malcolm knew what she was feeling, but the Alliance was advancing and they needed to fall back. "Zoë, get her gear," he ordered, before hauling Sari up. "He's dead, Berisford, you gotta let him go." Sari stared at him dazed. Swearing in the galactic language, he pulled her along with him, keeping an eye on Zoë to his left. Bullets rained around them, waking Sari from her stupor. Glad that she was able enough to run on her own, Mal turned around and began firing back, looking over his shoulder, making sure that the two women were aptly running for their command base.

While bullets whizzed by, Mal made sure that Zoë had his flank and the good surgeon was in one piece as they came upon another one of their own trenches. It had been the one where they had last seen each other. It was where she lost her first patient of the war. Mal realized that she was looking around the trench as if it had been only seconds ago that she had lost the patient and not as long as it had been.

"We've got to do this now, while we can," Mal told her as he knew his would need to be dealt with as soon as possible. Sari looked at him not comprehending what he had told her just a short time ago. Mal looked at her. "Sari, listen to me now, you need to get this bullet out me,"

"I-I-" Sari was cut off by another blast and Mal had covered her once again. Would the fighting ever cease? Mal grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

"Don't let them take your innocence. Do your job, patch me up, hum a tune and when you're done, go back to the command post. Mourn for the dead later." She nodded shakily, grabbing the pack that Zoë had carried with her. He helped her pull his duster off him. Her small cold hands unbuttoned his shirt efficiently and gently pulled the shirt away from the wound. Snagging on a piece that got stuck on the wound, Mal let out a pained groan.

She gave him a soft understanding look. "I have to rip it off the wound, Mal, and its going to hurt a lot." He nodded, tensing as she made ready. Biting her lip, Sari ripped off the offending material, wincing as Mal let out a harsh injured yell. Fresh blood began to pour out steadily. The bullet wasn't deep; in fact she could see it with her naked eye. Grabbing a retractor, she slipped it in, keeping the wound open as she pulled out a pair of large tweezers and yanked out the bullet.

"_Gosa_," he groaned. "Could you be a little more gentle?" shaking her head, she pulled out the retractor and began stitching the wound.

"Do you want webbing?" she looked up at him with caring eyes.

"Yeah," Mal breathed slowly as the pain of Sari ripping a bullet out of his waist slowly faded. As Sari applied the webbing to Mal's waist, she tried not to let her thought wonder. This was a war they were in. No one had time for distractions. Especially not Malcolm Reynolds. He was a hero to many of the wounded soldiers and so was Zoë, who was watching their backs as she worked as fast as she could to patch him up.

Mal looked into Sari's eyes when she looked up after applying the webbing. War time. Flying Bullets. Bombs. Those were the thoughts that were constantly on Mal's mind, but other things did come and go. As he went to speak, his second in command, Zoë, started shooting interrupting the almost moment that could have been. "Time to get you to the command post, Darlin', we'll see you soon." Before she could say anything else, he raced from their cover, screaming and hollering, shooting his pistol expertly. Using the distraction, she jammed everything back into her pack, planning on cleaning it all later. Her jacket flapped against her beige suede pants. Bullets zipped past her head. Ducking low, Sari slipped in and out of the covering rocks, making her way to higher ground. The twenty one year old woman's heart pounded and adrenaline raced through her veins.

Finally she made it to the post. The stench of blood and gun powder was cloying in the air. Rushing to immerse herself into work, she was dully aware that Zoë and Mal had burst in behind her.

"-Cause we are so very pretty," drifted over to her. Sari closed her eyes momentarily, revelling in the sound of Mal's voice. Opening them quickly at the sound of aircraft, she bandaged the wounded and looked over at Mal. Giving Sari a bright smile he turned back to Zoë. Her crestfallen face gave him a feeling of unease.

"They aren't coming sir," Zoë reported.

"Wha-?" he gave her an unbelieving look. He stood up, staring at the sky. Sari walked over to him, her eyes captivated by the large amounts of Alliance vessels dropping out of the sky. Looking at the devastation of land and the loss of life. They had been defeated. How many had survived? A handful, maybe less? What would they do now? Command was gone. They weren't coming with reinforcements nor were they going to be rescued. They were screwed in every sense of the word and it didn't matter how many brothers and sisters they lost, because in the end their sacrifice wasn't enough.

Mal sighed and looked to his second. Zoe had hopes for after the war and now that this war had ended, the hopes were gone. How in the hell were the they supposed to get out of this one? Mal shook his head as he looked back at the devistation to Sari, to Zoe. He would be the strong one. He knew Zoe would complain, but it was heart wrenching to know that the Alliance had out done them. Maybe one day, the Alliance would be getting what was coming to them in a package that would surprise even them.

Thank you for reading, please leave a review telling us what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Dusty

**Rescue**

I do not own Firefly. Thanks to Soccer-Bitch as co-author. This chapter has been edited!

Dusty. Dry. Barren. That was how Kathryn Washburne would describe the planet that she was currently on. Kathryn's golden honey colored hair and angelic face made her a danger. But only to the Alliance. Kathryn walked into the establishment wearing black calf high combat boots encased slender legs. A black mini skirt clung to her hips like a second skin. A pale blue boned sleeveless blouse surprisingly fit with the utility belt strapped around her hips and the holster around her right thigh. Some of the time, she had knives stuffed in her boots. She wasn't looking for a fight on this day. No this day was a day to mourn.

It was six years to the day that the Alliance had stolen what meant the most to her in this life. Her parents. Murdered in cold blood by someone in the Alliance. She might not be able to prove it, but she knew it was true. She was shipped off to live with her aunt and uncle and their son. But as soon as she turned eighteen, she was gone. They had no idea what she was going to spend her life doing and she didn't want them to. They were great people. But she didn't want anyone to know where she was.

It was strange. Knowing that you have family, but never talking or seeing them in five years. What Kathryn missed the most was being told that she was loved. It hurt not knowing if it was still true. In honor of her parents' deaths, Kathryn met up with an artist. A tattoo artist to be exact. On the inside of each wrist she had wings. One for her mother and one for her father. Every time she looked at her wrists, she knew they were with her.

Kathryn was staring down into her full shot of whatever the man set in front of her. She didn't drink very often. She liked to be aware of her surroundings. She didn't take the chance of being inhibited by a lousy drink that wasn't worth the money she was paying for it.

Kathryn was waiting, waiting for her contact to arrive. Word had come to her that the Alliance was transporting something of extreme value to another facility. Not only was she eager for the chance to give those bastards the one up, but she was mildly curious to see whether she could sell it for a decent price. A heavy set man sat down on the chair in front of her. She gave him a glare. "Can I help you?"

He leered at her, a beefy hand creeping towards her bare leg. "You keep moving your hand closer to my leg, I'm going to shoot it off." His hand paused, hovering in the air for a moment before sliding back to its owner. "So I'm only going to ask one more time. Can I help you?"

He looked at her for a moment. "Heard you're looking for someone to make a distraction while you snatch some goods."

"You heard right."

"What do you need?"

"Some explosions and a mule. You'll be paid half now, half when the job is done." He nodded and she slid an envelope over to him.

--

Fred had the route that the Alliance shipment would be. A shipment of medicine and something else that was hidden in code was headed to the Alliance Center that was set up on the desolate planet. Why anyone would set up a colony or a home or anything else here was beyond her. The plan was that Fred would be a distraction while she did the labor. The mule was hidden from sight, but a good distance where she could carry everything. Too bad for ones going on the ride for the drop because chances are they weren't gonna be around for too much longer, Especially if they tried to attack her

The heat was killing her. The sweat between her thighs was starting to chafe and her favorite top was getting horrible sweat patches underneath the arms. Her palms were clammy, slicking up the butt of her pistol. She was getting pretty darned sick of waiting on that dirty bastard, Fred. After an hour of being in the hot sun she saw Fred coming to his position. She knew he couldn't see her and it amused her that he even bothered looking. He was probably looking to make sure she was there or another reason, at least that was what she surmised. A sick grinding cried out further down the street, catching Fred and her attention.

That's when she saw it. The Alliance cargo. And it was poorly guarded. Two cargo shuttles that was fairly open with only four men on each shuttle and one uppity commander that looked like he could use an intense diet and exercise regime. Now all she had to do was sit there waiting until Fred distracted him and then it was her turn. She watched as he walked out into the street, a hand pressed onto his side where a punctured blood pack stained his shirt and coat. Kathryn had to admit his pained expression and wailing was remarkably convincing. The transport stopped to help him. The commander had jumped down with two other guards, leaving on of the containers even less guarded. This was already going better than the plan was made for. Fred pulled out his shotgun that was concealed in his jacket and began shooting up the place. Strapped with her extra ammo, Kathryn started shooting at the Alliance escort. The shock of being in a fight made them sloppy and unorganized. It was as if they had never been in a gun fight before. The plan was getting way to easy to execute. What differed from the plan was once Fred finished his guards and threw down the shot gun to grab a hold of another gun, he aimed it at her.

She paused for a moment, her gun trained steadily onto his chest cavity. He was older than her, and his reflexes vastly wanting next to hers, so she wasn't too worried. In fact, it meant that she would get a larger cut. "What are you doing?" Kathryn smirked at him.

"I want my share of the loot," Fred told her, sweating under her cool gaze.

"No," she told him with a sneer. "I've already got plans for this shipment. You don't have any place in them."

"They are going with me," Fred insisted.

Kathryn could see he was starting to loose the little confidence that he had. It was understandable to be intimidated by a little girl with an aim like a sniper. But there was thing that she couldn't get over. She couldn't believe the nerve of this moron. He had been offered incredibly good money to shoot a few folks. Guess that honor among thieves and hit men hadn't quite made it out to here.

"To end his life another will come back," a small voice said from behind where Kathryn stood her own gun pointing at Fred.

Kathryn took a small glance and saw the woman peeping out from a few crates. Short brown hair lay limp against a pale face, her brown, baggy eyes stared helplessly at her. Her arms where boney and malnourished, indicating the state of her underneath the shapeless blue jumpsuit that she wore. Long elegant fingers clutched at the metal plating of a large crate, showing her roots. Kathryn's only mistake was looking away from Fred. With jittery hands he shot her and the bullet ended in her right thigh. That just pissed her the hell off.

Quickly turning her attention back to Fred, Kathryn looked at him angrily. She was debating whether to kill him or not. She normally didn't kill unless they were Alliance, and this was just a greedy man. He stared at her, his whole body shaking visibly. Blood trickled lightly down her thigh, mixing with the sweat and dust that resulted in the fire fight. It throbbed with a steady ache, annoying her but not enough to distract her. She'd take care of it later.

"It's your lucky day, Fred, if that is your name," Kathryn told him gleefully. "I won't kill you this day."

He visibly sighed, the gun slipping from his numb fingers.

"But I don't like people shooting me," she told him, shooting him in the arm and one in the stomach. "Good luck getting out of here," she smirked turning back to the woman. She cowed by the crate, her arm flashing a strange tattoo. Kathryn gave her a gentle smile before offering her hand.

"Hey, you need to trust me. I'm gonna take you away from these evil people, ok?" The woman nodded and put her hand in hers.

Kathryn stared at the blank looking woman in front of her. The change of expression was odd. Her Short shaggy brown hair framed a pixie innocent face. Long eyelashes lined a pair of brown eyes that should be warm and welcoming but were now cold and empty. Her body was lean, encased in a strange blue uniform. On her left forearm were the few numbers tattooed, POW markings for independents, if she read them correctly. Grabbing the girl's hand she made her way to a concealed public cortex. Her cousin was a pilot and was married to an independent soldier, and thankfully was on the planet.

"This is Serenity, Wash speaking." Her cousin's boyish face appeared on screen. "**Tsai boo shr (no way) ****Kathryn?"**

**"Hey Wash," she gave him a bright smile. "I need to ask a favor."**

**He gave her a look. "Why do I get the feeling that this is going to bring down a whole lot of **_shiong mao niao_ (panda urine) on us?" Kathryn shifted, looking around at the crowd. A few grubby men stared at them unabashed. Their weapons were ill concealed. They were starting to make her very nervous. She turned back to Wash.

"I've just done this job and found this woman. She doesn't do anything, but I did notice that she has Independent POW markings," Wash looked a little interested. His wife had POW markings as well. "I thought, since your planet side, I could bring her around and hide for a bit."

Wash looked at the pleading face of his cousin. With obvious reluctance, he agreed to meet her and this Indepdent POW. "I'm only meeting you guys, you can't stay here unless you are paying. My captain would have my hide."

"If I can afford it for two passengers with cargo instead of cash, would that be ok?" Kathryn asked quietly.

"I'll talk to him and Zoë, see what I can do." After cutting communications, Wash jumped in surprise as Mal made his presence known to his pilot. He loomed from the shadows. A burgundy shirt was tucked into a pair of beige suede pants. A brown leather gun belt lay slung carelessly on his hip, his brown boots matching the exact shade. The suspenders did little to cheapen the looming intensity of the captain.

"Were you gonna tell me that I am taking more passengers on my ship, Wash?" Mal asked looking at him.

"Err," Wash stuttered. He had wanted to discuss this on his own terms, not when his captain was sneaking around his ship. "What I was going to say to you was my cousin's coming for a little chat and no she isn't coming with us into the black unless she pays?" Mal raised an eyebrow.

"But someone is coming into the black with us?" Mal asked "Or was I listening to a different conversation?"

Wash sighed. "Kathryn wanted Zoë to check out some girl and a place to hide for a few hours until we are ready to go. And if you don't mind being paid with cargo, a lift to somewhere else."

"How do I know we can trust either of them?" Mal knew he knew nothing of either one wasn't sure of this plan. Too many things could go wrong and hurt his crew.

"First of all, Kathryn is family. Second, she hates the Alliance; third of all she wants Zoë to look at the POW markings, just to give a little insight to the girl." Wash said stubbornly, defending his family. Pointing out that Kathryn hated the Alliance gave her a few bonus points, or at least he hoped, in her favor.

"I don't like dealing people I don't know and I've never met this cousin," Mal said carefully. A look at Wash's hopeful face changed his mind. "You know I don't let anyone on my boat that I haven't met before, so, I think now would be a good time. Come on Wash, you can introduce us,"

Wash sighed and tapped on the console for a second. "She'll be here soon as she finds a quiet route." he mused for a moment, hoping that she wasn't in too much trouble. No word for a few years made him nervous as well. Lord knows how much trouble she had gotten herself into. He just hoped it was something that they could all handle together. Family was one of the most important things to him. "How on earth did she know we were planet side?"

"How did she know you were on Serenity?" Mal answered back.

"Post," Wash smiled. "You know when you send letters away; they go to Santa and get delivered."

"Wash," Mal started, but instead of finishing he just walked out, deciding that it wasn't worth the effort.

He would have to wait to meet this cousin of Wash's and determine if she could be trusted. As well as the other visitor. The metal grating pounded dully underneath his leather clad feet. Another Independent POW. On Serenity. How would this work? Were they strictly transporting? Or was there more to it? Mal had to wonder if this POW could be Sari. The one that saved his life and so many others during the war they had lost. He couldn't think like that. He was just getting his hopes up that he would see her again. Mal wondered if she looked the same, if she acted the same as she did then. Was she the same woman that lost the innocence of life during a war that they had too much hope for? He shook his head as he walked down the stairs to the cargo. If he kept thinking about her his crew would think him crazy, even crazier then Book's hair when it was free from its bind.

Zoë walked up through the hatch opening and into the cargo bay. The sight in front of her was surprising. Her captain sat on a crate, his head in his hands, looking just as defeated and helpless as when he witnessed the end of Serenity Valley and lost Sari to the Alliance. Sari. Zoë felt her throat clog up. The young Field Surgeon had the most innocent and optimistic view on life. Even with the killing going around her, she still would find the time to sing a reassuring song to wounded and dying men. "Sir?"

Mal's head whipped up quickly. Zoë was shocked to see the anguish gleaming from his eyes. They shuttered instantly, bringing back the Captain that she knew very well. "Hey Zoë, we're having a few guests."

"Who sir?" Zoë asked, deciding to take her cues from him. Mal would reveal his thoughts and feelings when he thought it appropriate. There was only two times that she could remember that he talked about what happened in Serenity Valley and after. They both happened when he was really drunk. Really, really drunk.

"Wash's cousin and a girl she found are coming aboard. The other girl has our POW markings that are wanting to be checked out by someone friendly." Zoë blinked for a bit. Someone showing their markings so obviously wasn't often heard about before their obituary was posted on the cortex. And since when had Wash had a cousin?

"My husband's cousin, sir?" Zoë asked, never having met the person he spoke of.

Mal looked at her surprised. "Yeah, some girl called Kathryn."

"And you agreed to have them aboard sir?" Zoë asked unbelieving of the new development.

"Wash agreed to it, I'm waiting to see if I have to call Jayne to shoot some folk." They shared an amused look. His first mate frowned for a moment.

"And you agreed to take on free passengers?"

He gave her a disgusted look. "Who said that they were coming with us? Why can't we have a plain meet and greet?" he threw up his hands, unwilling to admit that he had the same reaction when he and Wash spoke.

"I don't know, sir," Zoë told him dryly.

"They said that they are willing to pay through cargo. But I'm not sure that I want to deal with that." He sighed. "I'm going to take them with us, aren't I?"

"Yes, sir," Zoë grinned knowingly.

Giving a disgusted groan he walked over to the intercom. "Wash prep for take off, get Kaylee to the engine room and call everyone back. I have a feeling we would want to make a quick getaway."

"Should we let Jayne know, sir?"

"Yeah, but restrict his fire power." Mal began walking back in further on the ship." And get Book to prepare two rooms, he makes it all nice like with pillows."

"Yes, captain," He liked the sound of immediate action, Mal admitted to himself. Zoë began speaking into the radio, giving orders to Jayne quickly.

"Sir," Wash's voice echoed in the cargo bay, just as she finished. "You might want to get Jayne here with a little more firepower. Kathryn is running and I think it's badger's men who are chasing after her and the girl in blue." Mal began swearing to himself. Nothing could ever go to plan, nothing.

Zoë walked over to the intercom and pushed the speak button before talking. "Wash, baby, what's happening?"

"Kathryn is being chased by guys with guns...really, really big guns...and HOLY MOTHER!"

Mal ran over to the intercom, noticing the crowds growing past the ship. "Wash?" Mal yelled

"The girl in blue took out the closest!" Wash's impressed state was obvious. "I think its Badger's men that they are running from. They should be on board any second now. The others are right behind them."

"Where's Jayne? I want him here now!" Mal yelled. This was definitely not going according to his plan. Why couldn't everything go smooth?

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here," The gruff voice of Jayne echoed in the room. In his hands were a few too many guns and several grenades.

"What did I say about grenades?" Mal asked as he stared at the vast amounts of weaponry on his gun hand. His eyebrow was furrowed with irritation.

"Come on Mal," Jayne complained. He liked the noise and destruction they caused. Chaos was pure heaven to the mercenary.

"No grenades," he pointed with authority. "The guns, yes, things that go BOOM this close to my ship? No."

"But, Mal," Jayne started when Zoë opened the hatch door.

The two women stumbled in, followed by Simon, River and Sheppard Book. All five were sucking in air at a fierce rate.

"That's always a good time," Kathryn panted as she went over to the other woman to check on how she was fairing, without giving the others in the room a glance. The girl ducked her head, shifting in a jerky style as she tried to take in her surroundings without giving herself away. Kathryn crooned gently, trying to calm her down.

Mall pointed his pistol at Kathryn. "What the hell is going on here? Start talking."

"Gonna shoot me?" Kathryn asked as she turned, looking as angelic as the day she first killed a man. The others looked at him positively stunned. Simon and Sheppard book moved protectively near the other person.

"Captain, please," Book said, trying to reason with the angry man. "There is no need to shoot anyone here." The girl whimpered slightly, feeling the negative emotions running riot. River drifted over to her, a dazed otherworldly expression floating over her face. She played with the girl's hair absently as the others discussed their fate.

"I'm very damned tempted." Mal growled at the older man before turning his attention back to the young woman. "You've screwed with my business contact, and we need the platinum."

"Who's your contact?" Kathryn asked dismissively.

"A Disreputable fellow named Badger," Zoë said wryly, interrupting anything that Mal was going to say. "So you're my husband's cousin."

"You must be my cousin's wife," Kathryn sassed back, watching Simon look over the blank woman with suspicious eyes. "I sure do feel bad for ya." She moved over to the ship's doctor, moving out of the protective stance she was holding in front of the girl

Zoë gave her a smile before catching sight of someone she didn't expect. "Sir!" She said breathlessly. The woman her captain and her had been searching for, for five years, stood behind the scantily clad woman, her eyes and facial expression vacant. She feared what a gun shot would cause. Her hand moved to her captain's arm instinctively, applying more than a little pressure. Mal used more force to keep Kathryn in his sights.

"I'm not putting the gun down," he told her, his jaw clenched with resolve. Blue eyes stared her down dangerously, all awareness of the other girl gone from his mind.

"No, Sir, look at the other one and tell me my eyes ain't broken." The woman in blue walked to Kathryn's side. No semblances of recognition were obvious.

Mal glanced at the woman that Simon had started to help and thought he was seeing things. "Sari?" he whispered softly. His stomach felt like he's been kicked. Eyes flitted over her, taking in mind all of the bruises, cuts and signs of malnutrition. Each bruise, each mark, they all felt like they had been pressed onto his own skin. He moved closer to her, only to be blocked by Kathryn standing in front of them.

"She doesn't know you," Kathryn said resolutely.

He stared at her, ignoring Kathryn. Sari stood there, staring blankly at him. He knew something had happened to her and it killed him not knowing. Simon and River moved close to him, seemingly to recognize her or at least her clothes. "Sari? Darlin' do you remember me?" A flicker in her eye and a pained look gave him hope. Only to let it slip as she shook her head.

"I just told you she don't," Kathryn said touching the girl's arm. The girl looked at Kathryn, her eyes filled with pain.

Mal gave her an unimpressed look. "Don't tell me anything, girl, I'm that Captain, which means you shut it or out the hatch you go." A rumbling roar and shuddering heralded the lift off of the ship. "Get out of the way and let Simon look at her."

"I haven't moved, Captain," Kathryn glared. "I wonder though, if I go out the hatch do you think she'd stay here? Where she knows no one?"

"She knows me and Zoë!" he roared, furious that he was being questioned about his past flame "And she'd be safe here." The girl he called Sari flinched visibly at his furious tone.

"I think we should all calm down and let Simon have a look at her in the infirmary." Sheppard Book said peacefully. Moving his way slowly over to the touchy woman, he touched her shoulder softly. "If you would like to follow me, miss?" Sari looked at him with frightened eyes and grabbed onto Kathryn's arm. She hadn't left her side since Kathryn freed her. "She can come with you, miss, don't worry," the black man gave her a gentle smile. "All we want to do is make sure that you are alright."

"What way?" Kathryn asked as she limped along with Sari.

Simon moved to her side, offering his arm for support. "Up the stairs and to the right." he paused for a moment. "River and she will have more in common that anyone else on this boat."

"Am I not the captain here?" Mal asked exasperated as he watched everyone else take control.

"Obviously not," Kathryn muttered as she concentrated on Sari and ignored her own injuries. The group moved further into the ship, towards the infirmary, leaving Mal standing helplessly in his own cargo bay. Irritated at his lack of control, Mal followed everyone.

He glared at her. "Make sure Sari is healthy, Doc, I'm going up to the bridge to talk to Wash."

"Well this is just a boat of love, ain't it?" Kathryn stated walking closer to the Infirmary doors.

Zoë glanced at her, following them into the infirmary. "Sari is one of the few most important people to Mal and me. We fought in the war together and she saved our hides too many times to count. Is it not understandable that Mal is hurting that she can't remember him?"

"The Alliance knows nothing of the death they cause," Kathryn said not making eye contact with anyone. She leaned against the wall as she watched Simon and the Sheppard help Sari on the examination bed. The poor thing looked lost and frightened, completely out of her element. The Alliance really screwed her over.

Zoë nodded in slight understanding. "You both are safest here. Wash and I will protect you; the Captain would lay his life down for her. Alliance will not have her back."

"I will get off as soon as we land," Kathryn said resolutely. "I won't cause anymore death unless it belongs to the Alliance."

"Nonsense." the Captain said from behind her. "We're already knee deep with harboring the doc and his sister, two more won't harm much."

"I won't be anyone's responsibility," Kathryn told them. "I can take care of myself."

"Well, if you have any talents we could use, you would be able to make a home here for you and her," Mal said quietly, unwilling to part with Sari when he just found her. He wasn't blind. She had no idea who or where she was. Kathryn was the only one she felt safe with at the moment. Mal could only hope that her memory would return soon.

"No talents that I will share," She said stubbornly.

Wash walked into the room from the bridge. "Did someone forget to mention the mother's meeting that we're having?" Kathryn rolled her eyes. "Mal, Kathryn should stay, she hasn't got any place to go." Not realizing that they were already discussing it.

"I can take care of myself, Wash," Kathryn said wryly.

Wash looked at her wounded leg. "I can tell. Can't I be selfish and want to have my family around me for a while?"

"I tend to have dead bodies around," Kathryn said. "Not good company."

"You haven't been on a job with the Captain, Girly," Jayne laughed. Everyone shot him a sharp look. "What? I'm saying what we're all thinkin'."

"Call me girly again and I will give you girl parts," Kathryn said with rage in her eyes. She hated it when people referred to her as 'girly'.

"That would be physically impossible," Sari said quietly from the bed. They all stared at her. Shrugging, she explained herself. "The surgery would be problematic. Chances not in his favor for survival with the tools in this room."

"All the better," commented Kathryn. Sari sighed with frustrated tears.

"Too much blood, too much death, life needs balance." Sari looked at Kathryn and sighed. "You'll have to have a baby with him. The only way it balances out."

"Excuse me?" Kathryn stared at the young girl she took under her wing. Everyone else was trying to hide their amused smiles. Jayne gave her a leering grin.

"For every death, new life is needed. He seems to have no other commitment that impedes this. You have to have a baby with him to balance the death you caused."

"No baby is coming from me," Kathryn stated. "I've worked too hard to get where I am. And if I didn't cause that death, you would still be with the Alliance."

Sari sighed and withdrew back into herself. Mal looked at her stunned. "Great, another moon brain on board," Jayne said coarsely. "Want to start on that baby?" he smirked at the other girl. She moved from the wall and walked over to Sari.

Kathryn bent down and kissed Sari's forehead as she was now sitting. As she stood back up she grabbed one of her knives out of her boots and threw it so it embedded itself next to Jayne's head. "Call her that again and I won't miss," she promised. "Besides, I'd rather jump out the airlock than share a bed with you."

Mal gave her a small smile before walking over to Sari. "What do you remember, Sari?" Sari just scooted farther away from Mal and closer to where Kathryn was. He stared at her, hurt. She didn't speak a word to Mal or anyone else, just Wash's little sister.

"I told you she don't know who ya are," Kathryn glared. Sari placed a gentle hand on Kathryn's arm.

"His name is Mal," Sari whispered. "That's all I remember."

She nodded at her before turning her attention back to the crew. "You're gonna fry her brain with all this and these people here," Kathryn said. "So how about you drop me off on a nice planet and I'll be on my way."

"We'll jump that bridge when we get to it. Zoë, in my bunk there are a few of Sari's clothes in the box by my bed. I'm sure she will want some warmer clothes." he looked at Book. "Do you want to get their rooms ready?" Book nodded and began to walk out of the room. "No-one here is going to hurt you, Sari; I hope you realize that soon." Mal walked out and headed to the bridge.

"Only if you can keep her hidden from the Alliance," Kathryn whispered with warning.

"River and I have been here for over a year. An Alliance operative had even come after her and the Captain kept us safe. The one thing I know about the captain is that he keeps his word." Simon said, defending the Captain.

"The Alliance has yet to catch me so I will stick to my method. That way I know she'll be safe." Kathryn glared at him.

"Don't ask the captain to give Sari up again," Zoë said quietly. "We've been through hell searching for her for the past five years."

"I wouldn't ask anyone give anyone up," Kathryn told her in earnest. "I just have a score to settle with the Alliance. I'm sure she does too."

"And so does Mal. They took his love away."

"At least he has a second chance," Kathryn said stubbornly. "I won't ever get that. If she remembers him by the time we get to the next planet, I'll see if she wants to stay here or not."

"So you understand the yearning that Mal has been going through," Zoë replied.

"I do," Kathryn agreed. "I go through it day in and day out for the rest of my life."

Mal paced in the small bridge. Sari was with him, finally, but had no memory of the war or any time that they shared. But she remembered his name, or at least he hoped she remembered his name. He had kept her belongings with him, her brown coat, her favored tan suede shorts and the tight vest style shirt she was known for. He had been unable to get her soft leather brown boots but he was sure Kaylee wouldn't mind lending her a pair of combat boots. Kathryn, though, caused him a conundrum. Trouble with the Alliance wouldn't be easy to avoid on her own, but to convince her to stay for safety was going to be harder. And he wasn't sure Sari would want to recover with out her. Sighing, he decided to call Wash to fix it all up.

_Thank you for reading. If there is anything you would like to see happen in this story, please let me know your ideas. I promise to give you credit if I decide to use them! Don't forget to review!_


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